Stands or No Stands?

[Fastone]

If you have money problems, go to Home Depot, Lowes or Walmart or buy some of the large plastic 50 gallon garbage cans. Great for putting Bass and Tenors on. A lot cheaper than stands, but harder to carry around and out to the practice field.......

Great idea but can you imagine the ribbing you'd get

[S. Pearson]

For what it's worth, I carried tenors of many different variations, full deep shell (no cutaway shells), 3-4-5 drum configurations, with covers and scoops and painted scoops for 8 seasons with the Scouts. Until my last season, the drums didn't flip up and we didn't have stands-ever. The hardware was welded steel (until 81') and the shells were all 8-ply. Our 5-drum sets carried during 1979 weighed 60 lbs! However, in defense to those carrying drums today, our body movements were for the most part up n' down the fifty yard line and crab-walking only entered into the picture during the last year or two of my experience. Also, we didn't march backwards until the last few years too. Generally, I still see the health issues today being more related to ankles, knees, hips more than I do the back, simply because of the extreme movements that players today have to do! Crab-walking is terrible for joints!

Honestly, I think that this debate about using stands depends on when they'd be used and the skill level of the players. For instance, when learning parts or exercises especially in the early stages of the season, the drums don't really need to be worn. However, when perfecting technique and parts, they should be worn at least for a reasonable period during the rehearsal gradually increasing this time going into the summer season. During the summer, they should be worn most of the time, especially if the players need this workout. My reason is that the shoulders are fixed when wearing the drums. This is generally not as big of an issue with snares, as tenor players have to deal with a significant amount of playing off-center of their body. If the players are inexperienced, they need to wear the drums for at least short periods of time, increasing it as you get closer to summer. It is a different playing experience on stands from wearing. Of course, the call needs to be made if the players health is a concern. Then, at least with stands, you have an option to continue playing. :)

(Recently) 4 years ago, I carried quint-tenors for the Scouts Alumni Project which surprisingly my back held up fairly well. We used stands early on only wearing the drums for short periods of time leading up to June, but we wore them from June on for up to 6 hours per day during our rehearsal weekends, because we increased the frequency of wearing the equipment. You can't baby yourself too much or you'll never be strong enough to carry the sets. Especially if you're an older fart like we were. (Note: the 06' tenors played the project off the field too!)

[CANDRUMMER]

There was a time when any corps drum line caught using drum stands would have been laughed out of the parking lot.

Except for Dynasty, with their 'Wedge' snares and 'Squint' tenors, if the other drum companies would design lighter weight drums than their current models [which are absurdly heavy, particularly the tenors] the issue would be moot.

The virtual necessity of drum stands is yet another reason why Drum Corps has become so damnably expensive... which, in large part, is why SO many corps have disappeared.

I AGREE!!!! The Drum Companies HAVE to make a lighter drum.Being heavy does NOT equal great sound. Like I have said in earlier posts I am OLD SCHOOL! I play a LUDWIG 10 lug mylar headed gut snared 12X15 field drum using trad. grip with a SLING!! The newer drums I have seen, picked up and attempted to play are just that ,way too HEAVY. I can see why these youngsters NEED stands to get them through the day.

"Stands" in my day if we could find them were GARBAGE CANS to rest the bass drums on to give the guy a break.Bass drummers wore SLINGS too back then!!!!!!!!!! I think the first "carriers" were the McCormick's "Bass Tote" although there was a carrier back in the seventies called the ARC CARRIER which was really good as well.It was a Y shaped aluminum frame with a 3 inch foam rubber backing that cap clips to mount the carrying straps.There was a belt to fasten around your waist, the straps came over your shoulders and could be made longer to carry "TIMP-TOMS" etc. Made carrying bass drums tymp toms a LOT easier. Never did know WHO made these carriers though.Wish I could find some NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!